Wednesday, February 27, 2013

Welcome Cheryl Kaye Tardif, international bestselling author. Cheryl is getting ready to launch her newest book SUBMERGED and explains in the following article why you might want to consider reading her on-the-darkside thriller.

Submerge Yourself in the World of Cheryl Kaye Tardif

by Cheryl Kaye Tardif

When people ask me what I do, I like to tell
them: "I kill people off for a living." You can imagine the looks I
get. Sometimes I'll follow with: "Fictitiously, of course. I'm a suspense
writer." Sometimes I won't say anything else. Yeah, I'm bad that way.

Writing thriller, suspense, mystery and/or
crime novels has always been my passion—especially if I throw a pinch of
supernatural or paranormal into the mix. I've always been drawn to dark
stories, ones that raise the hairs on the back of my neck or make me glance
over my shoulder. The two greatest influences in my writing life have been Dean
Koontz and Stephen King. Need I say more?

So what can I offer you if you choose to read
my books? I hope and strive to give you a satisfying read, one that will
impact you emotionally. If I can make you shudder or tremble or wince or even
cry, then I've done my job.

In SUBMERGED, I share with you a very
personal fear of mine—the fear of being in a car that's underwater and not
being able to get out. I have traveled long distances by car hundreds of times
during my life, twice from one coast of Canada to the other. Whenever we're
along a stretch of highway with a body of water beside me, my fear kicks in.
And I hold my breath…waiting…praying…

I want you to relate to this fear. But even
more, I want my characters to come to life. I want you to feel for Marcus
Taylor, a struggling recovering addict who has had his fair share of grief and
guilt. I want you to admire his strength, even in the midst of his weaknesses.
I want you, dear reader, to feel compassion for this man who has lost his wife
and son in a terrible accident, who blames himself for their deaths, and who is
searching for redemption, though he doesn't really know he is.

I want you to cheer on Rebecca Kingston, a
mother on the verge of divorce who has left an abusive husband. I want you to
feel empathy for her because this decision, no matter what others think, is not
an easy one to make. I want you to cry with her when she realizes she is physically
unable to help her children who are trapped with her in a sinking vehicle. And
I want you to be holding your breath every time Rebecca does.

Marcus and Rebecca (and the others in
SUBMERGED) may only be characters on paper, but they feel real to me. I gave
"birth" to them and watched them grow. With every step they took, I
wiped away their tears, hugged them and loved them. And, dear reader, I
sincerely hope you'll love them just as much.

Happy reading…with the lights on…

Cheryl Kaye Tardif, international bestselling
author

PS: The Kindle edition of SUBMERGED is
available on Amazon from March 4th – 6th for a special price during the Killer
Thriller Book Launch.

Learn more about me and connect at:
http://www.cherylktardif.com http://www.twitter.com/cherylktardif
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Cheryl-Kaye-Tardif-novels/29769736630

Friday, February 22, 2013

At almost 18 years old, Tista Ray wants to make a
difference in the world. To that end she has written and published a
coming-of-age novella MELANCHOLIC DELIGHT to help teens understand
romanticism.

Tista is an Indian by birth who writes newspaper
articles when she’s not working on her novels.

Q: How would you describe your new story, MELANCHOLIC DELIGHT? Do
you consider it a romance or a coming of age story? Or a life story? Why?

Tista Ray: It’s mostly a
coming of age novella in the light of teenage romanticism. The protagonist
grows, both physically and emotionally during the course of my novella. A mere
love story embedded with some nostalgic moments gains a divine touch as Sri and
Jishu travel through time to be united in love. The story’s about a thirsty
soul in quest of love, a passion that brings peace of mind. Jishu appears in
Sri’s life as a teacher, giving her a lesson on love.

Tista Ray: Being a teen
myself I have been a witness to many a desperate act of love. I have observed
reckless deeds of lovers. I have seen people falling in love and to fall out
with their beloved, without even gauging the real value of it. My novella’s for
those adolescents who still lack in the insight of true love. It’s to teach
them the divinity of love, worthy of attention.

Q: Do you consider your characters to be heroes?

Tista Ray: In a way they
are. Not because they commit acts of greatness that’s enough to raise them to
sublime but because their trivial actions teach the readers about the essence
of true love. Here’s a pair of lovers in my story who make enough sacrifice to
be honored with the designation of being heroes.

Q: How do you convince your readers to care whether your heroine
and hero get together?

Tista Ray: I know ladies
are mostly fans of ‘happily ever after’ but I guess I read somewhere that true
love never has a happy ending because they don’t have an ending. And for my
novella I can say it has an open ending, open to probabilities. So it can be
read as a piece of memory of the narrator that neither begins nor ends.

Q: How important is setting to your story? Could your lovers exist
anywhere else? Would they behave the same in a different setting?

Tista Ray: To me setting
seems too vital to ignore. It’s kind of a pivot around which the characters of
a story revolve. Certainly if my story would have had a different setting with
Jishu as a millionaire businessman or Sri as a writer or a philosopher I would
have had to make it a more matured love. Under changed circumstances they might
have acted differently, altering the concept of the story altogether.

Q:Do you write
largely for entertainment, or do you also try to deliver a message?

Tista Ray: I always say
I want to make a difference to this world through my works. So you can say I
concentrate more on building up the mood of a story that’s best suited to
deliver a message. And I believe that to an avid reader it’s the message that
matters more than entertainment. What makes a book memorable is the message it etched
in the readers’ minds.

Q: Who are your intended readers? What are they looking for?

Tista Ray: My book’s for
all age groups. Though it may apparently seem a book meant for teenagers but to
be true it will appeal more to the coming of age people who’ve been in love and
deduced the meaning of love. Nevertheless every single man can find himself in
my protagonists as I strongly believe a man in love acts the way Sri or Jishu
acted in my novella.

Q: Why are you a writer?

Tista Ray: I love writing.
Putting my thoughts into words gives me an innate satisfaction. To top it, a reader’s
praise is like honey added to a sweet.

Q: Tell us something about yourself. When you’re not writing, what
do you do? Hobbies? Sailing? Knitting? Standup comedy? Favorite music?Favorite authors? Do you have a muse?

Tista Ray: My hobbies are
watching TV and reading books. I do enjoy music as well. I am interested in
film making and am a great fan of Ruskin Bond. Paulo Coelho’s spirituality coupled
with Stephenie Meyer’s romance always makes my story an irresistible
combination (or at least that’s what I believe).

And about musing, yes it often starts
accusing for making my life so confusing!

About Tista
Ray

Tista Ray, a near 18 year-old
authoress penned her debut novella ‘Melancholic
Delight’ published in January 2013. She’s an Indian by birth. She’s
actively involved in writing newspaper articles and is keen in making a
difference to this world.

‘There’s no love like the first love.
There’s no feeling like the desperation to attain true love. Love or lust
matters not when two eyes meet, uniting the souls at once’

It’s this
love which frees Sri from the reign of darkness and makes her heart rise to
lofty heights of anticipated passion with no one to pull her back to reality.
It’s Jishu, who appears as the first ray of hope in her overshadowed life and
showers her with the ultimate sense of freedom, which she has been craving for.
He fills her life with the long awaited perfection. To a flawed person he
appears as the flawless. He becomes one among her most perfect acquaintances,
but is he really as unblemished as he appears to be. If so, can a flawed person
risk a life with the flawless? Do opposites really attract each other or it
deviate them from their normal avenues of life?

It’s a
deeply compelling love affair, which takes the readers back to their childhood
memories and brings back to them the essence of true love.

The changing
relations of a man’s life add force to the much ordinary teenage passion. The
book is not just about love. It’s about a journey called life which either ends
in melancholy or in delight.

Links

International readers can contact
author through Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6861618.Tista_Ray

Monday, February 18, 2013

M.A. Donovan joins us to discuss her
new fantasy novel THE GOLDEN HORN. In the following article, she positions her book within
the world of mythology, although admits she adds a little medieval history.

Donovan is a dog lover and lives in Michigan
with her dog Sheba. She also writes horror and thrillers under the name Shelby
Patrick.

The Mythology of it All!

By M.A. Donovan

The world has a long-standing fascination
with mythology. Epic tales have been told through the ages of heroes, gods,
goddesses, monsters, and more. Every nation has its own fantastic story to
weave.

The Greeks shared myths of heroic deeds,
divine interventions, and origins of their rituals. Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey are the oldest known Greek literary sources. They focused
on events surrounding the Trojan War.

You will find many great tales from Hercules
to Perseus and the Gods that either tried to thwart their plans or help them in
small, inconspicuous ways. Battling monsters such as Medusa or the hydra were
prevalent in almost every epic mythology.

In THE GOLDEN HORN, I mix a little mythology
with medieval history. My heroes engage all sorts of creatures like harpies,
nightmares, dragons, and thunder birds – while searching for a special weapon
forged by the Gods that will either turn the tide in their favor or destroy
their kingdom.

THE GOLDEN HORN is available at amazon.com or
createspace.com. Want to win a free signed copy along with a special gift from
me? Enter my “Letter to a Hero” contest. Simply craft a genius letter to your
special hero (can be a fictional character or a real person) and send to me at kariah@donovanfantasyauthor.com
with “Letter to a Hero” in the subject. I’ll select a winner at the end of my
virtual book tour, on or around March 1, 2013. Please make sure to include your
name, mailing address, and email in your letter.

M.A. Donovan
is the author of several published short stories and an article on karate. She
has self-published three non-fiction books, a short story collection, and two
novels. THE GOLDEN HORN is her first fantasy novel of which she has been working
on for years, since twelfth grade, and has recently had professionally edited.

Donovan
lives in Michigan, where she is currently working on her next novel, with her
dog, Sheba. She also writes horror and thrillers under the name Shelby Patrick.

You can find
her on Facebook (ShelbyPatrickAuthor) and Twitter (@shelbypatrick).

About THE GOLDEN HORN

Galen Hawkeye never wanted to be labeled a hero, but with his father's undead
army casting a shadow over the kingdom, the land needed a legend. From a very young
age, he had been groomed as a warrior, so it only seemed right when he strapped
on the sword, enlisted his mage friend, and ventured forth to save his people.
But he never planned on demonic trackers hunting him nor the love he found with
a mysterious girl who happened to be on the same quest as him. Would he be able
to stop the darkness descending before it swallowed him whole?

Thursday, February 14, 2013

Pam Funke, Author
OPERATION DARK ANGEL and
THE WORLD AT WAR
The Four Horsemen Series

Pam Funke
writes the Four Horsemen Series about the takeover of a collapsing world and
the attempts to save it. Reviewers say this is an “exciting series by a
talented new author” that is “fast-paced.” OPERATION DARK ANGEL and THE WORLD AT WAR (available soon) are the first and second in this seven-book series.

Pam
claims that her love of reading led her to write. Oh, and she also likes to eat.

Q: One reviewer of OPERATION DARK ANGEL said, “In this story large scale warfare becomes personal. Because
Funke's characters are so well developed you know all of those involved.” How do
you make readers care about your characters?

Pam Funke: I create characters that people can
relate to or become friends with. Sure there are some characters that people
will hate but that’s all part of writing a good story. There’s bound to be
characters that readers will both love and hate.

Q: What is the key to good dialogue?
Do you ascribe different characteristics to the dialogue based on your
character's traits?

Pam Funke: The key to good dialogue is picturing
in your mind each character’s personality and how they would act and behave in
various situations. It helps to set that character’s tone and slang usage.

Q: How important is back story and
setting to creating a believable story?

Pam Funke: Back story and setting are very
important to successfully creating a believable story.

Q: In your opinion, what key parts of
a story make it great?

Pam Funke: In my opinion, I think an author’s
descriptive ability to draw you into the story helps to make it great.

Q: Which part of the book did you find
the most demanding to write?

Pam Funke: The hardest part was researching the
different cultures and religions and tying them in to the book at the
appropriate times.

Q: Do you outline your stories
or do your characters push you around?

Pam Funke: LOL, I actually don’t do either. When
I am writing I can actually see the events happening in my mind (sort of like a
movie playing) and I just write exactly what I see.

Q: Who are your target readers? What do you do to understand what
they want to read?

Pam Funke: My target readers are young adult
through adults. I talk with different people to see what their interests are
and what types of things that they would enjoy reading about.

Q: Tell us something about yourself. For example: do you like to
read? Eat? Go to plays? What’s your favorite book, author, character? Do you
have a muse? If you weren’t a writer, what would you be?

Pam Funke: Yes, I love to read. This is partially the reason why I started to
write. Who doesn’t like to eat? I don’t really go to plays although I do enjoy
Tyler Perry’s plays. My favorite book is Gone With the Wind. My favorite
authors are James Patterson, Michael Connelly, Joel C. Rosenberg, Tim LaHaye,
Jerry Jenkins, and Mary Higgins Clark.

About Pam Funke

I am the
proud grand-daughter of a pastor and have spent the majority of my life in the
church. I am a Christian author who enjoys writing many different things. My
love of reading and writing led me to write for the enjoyment of others.

About THE WORLD AT WAR (available soon)

The
second book in the exciting Four Horsemen Series. Join General Alexander Ludlow
as he continues on his mission to save the world. At least that is what he
thinks that Operation Dark Angel is all about. He is however starting to
suspect that this mission is not all that it's cracked up to be. The world is
in complete chaos as major nations wage war on each other and the world is on
the brink of World War III.

The Group
is secretly continuing Operation Dark Angel with much success. Unknown to the
rest of the world they are the ones who are behind the strange and devastating
attacks on Israel and around the world. What is it that they are really after
when they are supposed to be bringing peace to an out of control world?

Italian
President Nicolaitanes Balac is steadily gaining political power and
recognition. The entire world is watching this one man and wondering if he will
be the one to save them from the chaotic spiral that the world is headed
towards. Is he really who he appears to be or is he something much more
sinister? Can he save the world? Do we even want him to? Is this who mankind
should rely on for help or will this be the worst mistake that mankind has ever
made?

Excerpt

Chee
Tsang, China’s Chief Executive, gathered the country’s military officials
together. He was ready for payback. How dare Israel attack his beloved
country? Beijing is now just a smoldering disaster zone. This fact alone
both angered and saddened him.

General Baojia Chan stood nearby looking over intelligence and
working out a war strategy in his head. First we will attack Israel with
missiles then a surprise attack with our massive army.

“General, I want your opinion about something. What will we gain from
this? How will this attack on Israel benefit the people of China?” Chee Tsang
asked.

General Chan looked back at the papers he was reviewing before
looking at Mr. Chee Tsang. “Well, I think that this will only work as long as
we contain the element of surprise. We then enter the country from here and
here,” Baojia said pointing at the military map.

“I see. But would we not have a greater advantage point from here and
here,” Chee asked.

“I have planned for the Immediate Action Unit to drop forces in at
those locations,” General Chan replied.

“But I thought that we primarily used them to protect the country
from terrorism, riots, and the like. If we use them in our attack, won’t that leave
the country defenseless?” Chee asked.

“Yes, the IAU is primarily used for that purpose but as they are
extremely good at tactical maneuvers we will be using them to strengthen our
military forces. The Snow Leopard Commando Unit will be protecting our country
while the military is deployed,” Baojia replied.

“Very well then, how long before we can make this happen?” Chee
asked.

“It is being done as we speak sir. In a matter of hours we will have
our troops in the air,” Baojia replied.

General
Chan has done well, although I wish that he had waited for my approval.

Chee turned and faced General Chan. “You are doing a fine job. As I am not
needed here I will be off taking care of more pressing issues. Do not
disappoint me,” Chee said. He then turned and left the room.

General Chan turned back to his staff. “How much longer before the
planes are loaded with the troops and equipment?” he asked.

“Sir, they will be ready for takeoff in approximately two and a half
hours,” the young soldier replied.

“Excellent. Now I want you to launch the missiles at Israel. We will
start by creating chaos and panic and then the real fun begins,” General Chan
ordered.

“Yes sir,” the soldier replied. He then typed in the target
locations, the order codes, and hit send.

Tuesday, February 12, 2013

Amy McClung
dared to bring werewolves and vampires together in her Parker Harris Series
books. Not only are they together, but Parker the werewolf falls in love with a
vampire – unheard of.

Amy loves movies, so if she’s not reading one of her beloved fantasy novels, she and her
husband are probably viewing one of the movies from their large collection in a
room decorated with movie memorabilia.

Be sure to
check out the brief excerpts of her books following the book descriptions.

Click
the link at the end of this article to check out the First Love Blog Hop and
learn about other participating authors and how to win a Kindle and many more
prizes.

Q: What
inspired you to write about werewolves?

Amy McClung: I've always
enjoyed reading books about paranormal creatures.Werewolves and vampires have been some of my favorite and
there are so many different things you can do with them that it makes it easier
to create your own world.My main
character is a werewolf and I wanted to show a different side of werewolves
through her insecurities and fears.

Q: One of your
reviewers pointed out, “What a nice twist the author gives us in this
paranormal romance pairing vampires and werewolves together romantically and as
friends.” Are vampires better than werewolves? Are they usually not together?
What made you decide to put them together?

Amy McClung: I haven't read too many books where vampires and werewolves are
together.Many times they are
painted as enemies.Forbidden love
is always a big thing in romance it seems and since they are born to be enemies
I thought it would be a nice twist to have them fall in love instead.

Q: How important is the small town setting to
your story? Do werewolves
only appear in small towns?

Amy McClung: I chose the town Cascade, Idaho because
there are wolves in that area.Parker, the main character, has kept this a secret for two years so it
seemed that would be easiest in an area where it wouldn’t be odd to see
wolves.In a large city someone is
bound to see a wolf and find it strange.I also chose the town due to the waterfalls in the area.It ties in with the relationship of the
main couple.

Q:Are you primarily writing for YA
readers, or do you believe your story is for all ages?

Amy McClung: I mainly write
for YA with my current series. However, I've had men and women of all ages,
from 16-65, tell me they have really enjoyed reading it.I think my first book was truly geared
toward a younger crowd based on the events that happen to the teens.As the books progress, the characters mature
and the material is relatable to a wide range of ages.

Q: Do you write
purely for your readers’ entertainment? Or do you incorporate messages to your
readers?

Amy McClung: I write for
entertainment mostly.However,
there are some messages involved.I think most books have messages underlying the entertainment portion,
even if it wasn’t intended.I
think that is why many people give books a hard time if they feel they are
'giving off the wrong message'.I
am one that likes to slide those messages into the entertainment in a very
subtle way.

Q: Why are you
a writer?When did you first know
that you wanted to be a writer?

Amy McClung: I did a little
writing when I was younger, but never thought anything would come of it.In 2011, I went through a life-changing
event and needed something to keep me from being too stressed. My husband
suggested writing.I sat down and
started to write a book, using it as therapy and then discovered how to self-publish.Once I started writing, I fell in love
with it.It gives me a chance to
escape reality for a bit and get lost in a fantasy world just like reading
does.I've always loved to read
and many times I get frustrated at the direction a story takes so writing gives
me the chance to have the ending I want for a change.

Q:Tell us something about yourself: do
you like movies? What do you do when you’re not writing? Hobbies? Favorite
author?

Amy
McClung: Movies are a big hobby for me. My husband and I have a
huge collection of movies and memorabilia.Our living room is decorated in Harry Potter décor, to give
you an idea.Another hobby I have
is reading, I now read at least 3 books a month.My favorite author, there are several of them here lately.J.K. Rowling, Sherrilyn Kenyon, Brenda
Pandos, Tabatha Vargo, Molly Harper, Rachel Caine, just to name a few. My
favorite authors are the ones that have never disappointed me in their writing,
every book has been fantastic and I would read them repeatedly.

About Amy McClung

Amy McClung was
born in Nashville, TN. She is the second oldest of four girls. She married
Daniel McClung in September 2005 and they currently reside just outside of
Nashville. She graduated from Father Ryan High School in 1996. In 2002 she obtained
her general certification in medical coding and billing and in 2009 she
obtained a specialty certification in Hospital medical coding and billing.

Amy and her
husband are both fans of fantasy novels as well as avid movie collectors. The
Parker Harris Series is the first series of books by this author. CASCADES OF MOONLIGHT is Book #1; DREAMS, SPELLS, AND MOONLIT TALES is Book #2; and the
third book is set to be released in the Summer of 2013.

Amy’s favorite
past times include watching movies, drawing, and reading fantasy novels. Her
first book was a means of therapy for her as it enabled her to escape reality
for a while during a difficult transition in her life.

Parker Harris isn’t your
typical teenage girl, not completely at least. For the past two years she has
been struggling once a month with the extreme pain of shifting into a werewolf.
She faces the challenge of keeping this secret from those she loves until one
day a stranger comes into town and he knows that secret somehow. Now she has to
face an even bigger challenge. She is falling in love...with a Vampire, of all
things. Murder, Betrayal, Love, Deception, Friendship, and Loyalty, fill the
pages of this book.

“Vampires and Werewolves
have been myths turned into movies, books, and plays for hundreds of years.
Everyone has heard of them, everyone has their own interpretation of what they
are and the ways you can kill them. Some people say that Vampires are creatures
of the night that can’t walk in the sun and are killed by wooden stakes, burned
by holy water or torn apart by other vampires. Some say vampires can’t go in
the sun because their skin sparkles like diamonds. There are stories of vampire
slayers and there are werewolf hunters.

As many stories as there
are, you would think more people would believe these creatures exist. I mean,
how else would there be so much talk about something that never existed? How
would there be so many ideas that are so closely related? Maybe some people
just don’t want to believe because they are scared of the possibilities it
could bring, scared to face the reality that monsters are real. Of all the
myths, the part of how to kill a vampire is quite limited. There is no easy way
to kill a vampire unless you are a master vampire or a werewolf. Luckily, I am
a werewolf.”

“Barely able to open my
eyes, I croaked out, "Don't go…please…don’t leave me alone. I'm scared…"
His face whipped back to look at me, when he heard my voice, and I saw that his
fangs were out. His face was a mask of anguish. He began moving back toward me,
but reached up, felt his teeth, and turned back again to leave and was gone in
a flash. The blood had made him hungry, he hasn’t fed in a while and he was
losing control. He had no other choice but to leave me there, dying. Fear
washed over me with the realization that I was going to die here, these
injuries are too severe for my wolf powers to heal me, I could feel my body
growing weaker by the minute. Gloom was closing over me; pain enveloped my
body, and I couldn’t fight closing my eyes anymore. All I wanted was the pain
to stop. I invited the darkness to encompass me, with the promise that I would
hurt no more.”